Carving Pumpkins
by NamelessMoonshine
Summary: This is just a cute short I made in honor of the holiday, invovling some of the gang and their pumpkins. Stop lying to yourself, you want to read it. C'mon, that's it....


Disclaimer: I don't own either Shadow, Sonic, Amy, or Rouge, though I would like to have the first one.....Badly.

I was working on my computer, trying to get some stuff done, and I noticed I haven't done _anything_ special for my second Halloween present at FanFiction. In fact I didn't do anything last year either!! I suddenly started freaking out, trying to think of something I could do, and this little piece jumped into my head. At first it was going to be Tails' first trick or treat, but I couldn't get past the first sentence.

So it came to me: how would _Shadow_ react to his first Halloween? Parties, decorating, carving pumpkins, getting candy, dressing up. I looked at the choices and this is what happened.

The fic itself is actually based off of an experience I had with a pumpkin, and the designs you hear about are real ones that my dad buys for us to choose from. I picked out the carvings that I thought would suit everyone best, and I hope you like it.

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**Holiday**** Special** - Carving Pumpkins

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One of the most popular holidays in the world is that which falls on the last few days of October, and next to Christmas, it is one of the most widely celebrated in the modern world. Like it's snowy counterpart, the festivities are rejoiced in a large number of ways. _El Dia de los Muertos_, Day of The Dead, All Hallow's Eve, or as it more commonly known, Halloween, is a time to respect the deceased and/or collect vast amounts of treasured sweets. Most of which barely make it through the proclaimed night, consumed in half the time it took to gather them.

Still, it is a well-known holiday, and almost anywhere you go, you will find some form of this occasion in that particular region, be it having picnics in graveyards, dressing up and dancing ceremoniously, or well....

...making Jack o' Lanterns...

Shadow battled with the carving design, trying to tape it down to the curving surface of his chosen pumpkin and having no easy time of it. Rouge had put him up to helping her carve them out this year, mostly because she couldn't believe he'd never experience Halloween before. To be truthful, he'd been less than pleased with the concept of the whole ordeal. The cleaning out of the squash family member had been hideous, and the stringy, sticky gunk had already started to dry in his fur, creating large clumps and making the skin beneath itch like mad.

"Try smoothing it out more, Shadow." Rouge said, pointing to the bottom. "If you tape it _that_ way, you'll have a fold down the middle and it'll set the whole thing off."

Shadow checked, and sure enough, the white bat was, as usual, correct. There was a large wrinkle in the lower edge of the picture, which would indeed hinder the proportions of his design quite badly. With a frown he repositioned the paper, only to be met with the same problem again. He quickly got annoyed.

"You should've chosen an easier pattern, Shadow." Sonic grinned. He was almost finished with his own carving, and the Jack the Reaper pumpkin face sneered gleefully up at him. The two had immediately made the carving into a competition when Shadow had been forced to participate, both picking the most challenging designs they could get after Amy and Rouge had gotten hold of the book. Tails and Cream had already long been in bed, both having picked rather simple designs, the kitsune making a bat flying in front of a moon, and Cream, innocent as she was, making a jagged happy face pumpkin, that had only come without collapsing because Amy had helped her saw it out. Both gleamed out on Amy's front porch, lit early so the two artists could see their works before hitting the hay.

"I don't need an easier one..." Shadow grumbled, only becoming further annoyed as Sonic pressed on.

"Look, all I'm saying is--" The dark hedgehog shot him a glare, and the blue other held his hands up in a small surrender. "Okay, okay, lay off. Geez, you're so _touchy_!"

"I _don't_ need an easier pattern." Shadow repeated, moving the paper again, now having trouble with the top of the picture. A small tear had appeared and the tape was refusing to comply with his wishes to repair it. Even worse, the pumpkin itself was starting to slide out of his grasp. He quickly shifted and pulled it to safety, but almost let go when Amy jumped up, holding out her own jack o' lantern.

"I'm done!!" She proclaimed, making sure everyone could see it. She had chosen a moderately hard piece, a witch flying with her hat clutched in an outstretched hand, feet out in front of her. All in all, the spell caster looked more like a cowboy on a bucking bronco rather than the more traditional child-eater. The detail was rather good, however, and Amy had carved it almost to perfection.

"Looks great, Ames." Sonic hefted his pumpkin up, its evil grin a little more twisted looking then the picture directed. "I'm done too, what you think?" He held it by Shadow's head, who was still battling to tape down his picture. "Twins separated at birth or wha--OW!! Rouge!!" The treasure hunter glared at him as Sonic rubbed his head where she'd cuffed it.

"Lay off, Sonic. Need I remind you what _your_ first pumpkin was like?"

"You weren't even there!"

"No, but I have a picture your little buddy, Tails, gave me..." She reached for her purse, smirking maliciously. Sonic faltered. "I can have that baby all over the Internet in three shakes, so I expect you to behave."

Sonic's ears flattened against his head, but his eyes brightened. "You're _bluffing_, Rouge."

In an instant, the bat had a square of paper out of her purse and held it up for Sonic to see, while Shadow and Amy simultaneously tried to catch a glimpse of the now-famed photo, not quite being able to without catching either the bat or hedgehog's attention. Sonic however, could see quite well, and his face quickly drained of its color, giving him a sickly appearance.

"Is _this_ a bluff, hedgehog?" She inquired, waving the picture ever so slightly.

The blue hero made an un-aimed grab for the photo, missing entirely, and Rouge, thinking quickly, tucked it behind the breast-plate of her outfit, where she knew Sonic wouldn't reach for if it meant saving his life, an evil grin on her face. The hero gaped at her and fumed, green eyes glittering in his anger.

"Get moving, blue boy." She ushered.

"You're just sore cause Knux couldn't make it---AHHH!!!"

Barely after his comment had finished tumbling past his lips, Rouge had vaulted herself at him, aquamarine eyes on fire, war cry piercing. Sonic screamed and ran out the front door, where he'd previously been headed anyway, to place his pumpkin outside. Amy, giggling, followed after them, her witch safe in her arms.

"You'll pay for that one, Sonic!!!" Rouge's voice sounded from the outside.

Shadow smiled, and returned to his pumpkin, smoothing out the paper and beginning to tape it down. He would finish it sooner or later...

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I loved this. It's probably one of my cutest shorts with Shadow in it, possibly the only cute one. Heh. Anyhoo, I hope that all of you have an awesome Halloween and all that rot. Call me when the candy has brand names in KY.

Tootles, and REVIEW....or ELSE!! :P

I just realized this is my 21st fic!! My profile is now legal!! Alright, go NM, go NM, it's ya b-day, alright!!


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